General overview article in Time magazine about y2k lawsuits

"The computer industry argues that the Y2K bug is not entirely the fault of individual companies but is rather a once-in-a-thousand-year foul-up that has caught the world off guard. Says Robert Holleyman, president of the Business Software Alliance: "These lawsuits are taking time and energy away from fixing the problem."

But trial lawyers, backed by consumer groups and the U.S. Justice Department, retort that the proposed limits on Y2K lawsuits would stack the deck against people who have legitimate claims. According to the proposed rules, a company that makes "reasonable efforts" to fix a defect could get out of paying for the harm it causes--no matter how serious the mistake or the injuries that result. And it would cap punitive damages at as little as $250,000, no matter how culpable the company.

While the early doomsday predictions about Y2K appear to be wildly exaggerated, serious work remains to be done. "It was only one chemical valve being left open that caused the Bhopal disaster," says Joan Mulhern, legislative counsel for Public Citizen. "To the extent that these bills are telling industry not to be prepared, they're sending the wrong message." "